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“On many occasions I’ve wished I was never a Forest fan,” says Rich Fisher.

It is the kind of admission any supporter of any team has surely made in the inevitable moments of misery – and there have been plenty of those when it comes to Nottingham Forest in the last 30 years.

That is the period covered by Fisher in his new book ‘The Church of Stuart Pearce and Other Stories’.

A memoir of his life as a Reds fan since the age of nine, Fisher chronicles his time supporting the club from the latter years of Brian Clough’s reign, to the high of a third placed finish in the Premiership to the desperate low of relegation to League One.

For 38-year-old civil servant Fisher though, being a supporter is not just about the famous goals and infamous failings, but the bonds forged and the obscure personal memories that become unique to every individual fan.

“There’s been the ups and downs, but it’s not really about the football, it’s about the experiences you have as a fan and how the passion for your team weaves its way into the fabric of your life," he said.

“On many occasions I’ve wished I was never a Forest fan. In the heat of the moment you do feel that way.

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Rich Fisher reads from his book, the Church of Stuart Pearce and Other Stories

“The process of writing the book lets you reflect and I realised that even though the last 20 years has been tough for Forest fans, supporting your team gives you so many rich experiences.

“It’s a catalyst for so many great friendships. Looking back from childhood, it gave me so many shared experiences with my dad, who started taking me, and my older brother. He ended up being my match day companion for many years.

“For all the frustration and disappointment, I wouldn’t swap Forest for anyone else.

“You do remember some strange things. You’re obsessed with football when you’re 10 or 11.

“I could probably tell you who scored in every game back then. Now I’m not sure I could say who the last home game was against.

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Fisher is well known among hardcore Forest fans. He published the Forest Forever fanzine in the 1990s and helped raise funds for the Brian Clough statue.

He explores both subjects in a book which gained its name from a trip to Glastonbury which made surprising headlines based on a white lie.

“Away from football, I’m a big music fan. In 2003 a group of us took a life sized cardboard cut-out of Stuart Pearce to Glastonbury,” the Mapperley resident said.

“A journalist from the local paper ended up asking us about it. I thought it was too dull to tell the truth so I said we were the founders of the Church of Stuart Pearce and we were looking for disciples. The next day it was on the front of the local paper.

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“We were mobbed by people looking to join a fake church. It got picked up by the national media.

“It occurred to me Stuart Pearce will have heard about this. I wrote to him when he was at Manchester City to explain it all.

“Two weeks later he wrote back and thanked me for taking him to Glastonbury. He wished Forest well and signed the letter Stuart Pearce, cardboard cut-out and coach so I'm glad he took it in good humour.”

As of Friday, the Church of Stuart Pearce and Other Stories was number three in the Amazon chart for football books. It is also available at Waterstones in Nottingham and MSR Newsagents near the City Ground at a cost of £12.99.